Music for a Burns Supper

Thursday, 25th January, was the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, so we’re bringing you a programme of traditional and modern music from Scotland (with plenty of bagpipes of course), and then, at 11am and 7pm Pacific Time (19:00 and 03:00 GMT) we present a complete Burns Supper, courtesy of the Scots Independent Newspaper.

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best-known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a ‘light’ Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became an important source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among Scots who have relocated to other parts of the world (the Scottish Diaspora), celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature.

Burns Night, effectively a second national day, is celebrated on 25 January with Burns Suppers around the world, and the format has not changed since Robert’s death in 1796. The basic Supper starts with a general welcome and announcements followed by the Selkirk Grace. Immediately after this comes the piping-in of the Haggis, after which Burns’s famous address To A Haggis is read, and the haggis is cut open. The event usually allows for people to start eating just after the haggis is presented. This is when the reading called The Immortal Memory, an overview of Robert’s life and work, is given; the event usually concludes with the singing of Auld Lang Syne. The progress of the Supper is generally accompanied by poetry readings and music on the pipes and other instruments, especially including renderings of works by The Bard of Ayrshire.

The content of our own Burns Supper here on Radio Riel will be as follows:

Just for Seumas — performed by Gordon Duncan

An Introduction — performed by Peter Wright, Chairman of the Scots Independent Newspaper

Piping in the Haggis — performed by Gordon Duncan — Duchess of Edinburgh/Lonach Gathering

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